This invention pertains to a particular type of valve employed in a dental console for delivering air under pressure to drive dental handpieces and also to furnish water thereto, when desired, in a manner which is less complex and more effective than is possible with known devices of similar type. The employment of said valve has necessitated the development of improved, adjustable supports for dental handpieces mounted adjacent said valve and including certain facilities to permit ready servicing of the valve when required and also including lockout mechanism to prevent actuation of the valve when a dental handpiece is removed from the support for purposes other than the normal function thereof, and an improved air and water distribution system is provided which is capable of servicing a plurality of dental handpieces, yet employ only a single air pressure gage for each console in which the plurality of handpieces are mounted.
The type of valve to which the present invention is directed essentially is a refinement of the air and water control valve comprising the subject matter of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 944,223, in the name of Neri, filed Sept. 20, 1978, particularly for purposes of simplifying the manufacturing, as well as mounting thereof, in a dental console, the assignee of the present invention being licensed under the above-identified patent application. As will be seen from said application, the foot control for operating dental handpieces which are serviced by the valve comprising the subject matter of the application requires two foot treadles, one being for purposes of actuating the air control valve and the other operating another air control valve which, in turn, actuates means to open a water supply to a handpiece. One objective of the present invention is to obviate the need for two treadles in the foot control and employ only a single one.
In general, it has been quite common to employ two treadles in a foot control respectively for purposes of effecting the delivery of air and water to a dental handpiece, as in the Neri invention referred to above. One such prior device is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,067,765 in the name of Aymar, dated Dec. 11, 1962. However, the use of a single pedal or button in a foot control, solely for purposes of controlling the supply of air to a handpiece, is old and two typical examples thereof are found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,572 in the name of Staunt, dated Mar. 29, 1966 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,704, in the name of Booth, dated Dec. 24, 1974.
It also is known to employ lockout devices in dental consoles associated with the air valves for purposes of preventing the flow of air to a handpiece when it is desired to remove a handpiece from the holder therefore in a console, such as for purposes of removing or replacing a bur in the handpiece. Typical examples of such prior lockout devices are found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,059 in the name of Booth, dated June 27, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,841 in the name of Swatman, dated Sept. 9, 1975; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,161 in the name of Morgan et al, dated Nov. 11, 1975. However, the lockout structure of the present invention has been designed specifically for use with the support for the dental handpiece in said invention and has required the development of details compatible therewith.
It also is known to employ a single pressure gage in a dental console in which a plurality of handpieces are employed for purposes of indicating the pressure of the air present in the air-distribution system to said handpieces. One example of such an arrangement comprises the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 3,461, 561 in the name of Valeska et al, dated Aug. 19, 1969, but the means by which the single pressure gage is made feasible in the present invention requires a different type of circuitry than that employed in said prior U.S. Patent.